Supporting-drum for electric lights.



c. w. RILEY. .Y SUPPORTING DRUM POB. ELBGTRIGLIGHTTS.

N0 MODEL.

IN VEN T 0R WITNESSES me nonms Parras on. Pnorauwe., wnswnnvou. a. c.

UNITED STATES Patented Deeember 1, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

SUPPORTING-DRUM Eos-ELECTRIC LleH-rs.

`SEEGIFIIZGAJJJ10N forming part of Letters PatentNo. 745,670, datedDecember 1, 1903.

Application led January 16.1903. Serial'No. 139,303. (No model.) v

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that. 1, CHARLES WILLIAM RILEY, a resident of ALynchbn rg,in the county of Campbell and State of Virginia, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Supporting Drums for Electric Lights; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin theart to which it appertains lo make and use the same. e

My invention relates .to an improvement in supporting-drums for electriclights, the object of the invention being to provide an improved deviceof thisA character which can be secured to the ceiling or other xedsupport and permit the raising and lowering of an incandescent or otherlamp and hold it at any height desired.

With this object in view the invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, aswill be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view illustrating myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a front View. Fig. 3 illustrates the cap 13.

1 represents a supporting-arm to be rigidly secured to the ceiling orother fixed support and is provided with an elongated bearing 2 for thejournal 3 of my improved drum 4. The journal 3 is on one side only ofthe drum and is secured in bearing 2 by a clampingring. This leaves theopposite side of the drum, which has a central cylindrical post 5,

free for the attachment, or rather entrance,

of the electrical Wires or conductors A6.

The side of the drum adjacent to bearing 2 has a ratchet-wheel 7 securedthereon, and this ratchet-wheel is engaged by a pawl 8, pivoted to adepending arm '9 onbearing 2. The pawl is made with anupwardly-projecting nger 10, against which the free end of a hat spring11,-secured toarm 9, bears to hold the pawl in engagement with theratchetteeth. Acoiled spring 12 is housed in drum et and secured at oneend to the drum and at its other' end to bearing 2 and is adapted toturn the drum in a direction to wind the wires thereon and elevate thelamp.

The post 5 is made at its outer end with a ment.

longitudinal groove or recess a'deep enough to permit the wires 6 whenplaced therein to tially to move its slot out of alinementpwith' therecess in the post'and locked in such'position by a set-screw, it willeffeetually hold the Wires in this position. The wires after passingthrough this groove or recess 5a enter a notch in one wall of drum Liand wind on the drum and then, extend downward through Va bail 16 tohold the wires against a pulley 17, carried by a depending arm 18 onpawl 8, and at the lower end ot' the wires the lamp 19 is supported. Itwill thus be seen that by so constructing my improvements when adownward pull is applied to the lamp or the wires below pulley 17 pawl 8will be drawn out of engagement with the ratchetteeth and held out ofsuch engagement until resistance is removed, when the pawl will be movedinto engagement with the ratchetteeth-by the spring 11 and hold the drumin the position to which it is adjusted.

To prevent knotting of the wires above the drum due to the turningthereof,1 may place a coiled spring 2O thereon to resist the twistingaction and tend to keep the wires straight.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: To lower the lamp, theoperator grasps the sameor the Wire above it and pulls downward, thusturning drum tand winding up spring 12, the pawl 8 riding over theteethand holding the drum against reverse move- To elevate the lamp, theoperator exerts a sufficient downward pull on the lamp to move the arm18 to one side and move the pawl 8 out ofk engagementwiththeratchetwheel 7, and by maintaining a suflicient resistance to theupwardmovement of the lamp to hold the pawl out ofthe path of theratchetteeth the spring 12 will turnthe drum and cause the wires orconductors to be wound thereon, and when all resistance is removed thepawl will spring into the ratchet-teeth and hold the drum in suchposition.

By connecting the upper section of the wires at the axis of the drum asabove eX- plained the upper wire-sectionv will not wind IOO on the drum,and this enables me to provide a stationary support for the drum, and Ican place my improvements in position on wires already hung Withoutdisconnecting any of the working parts orinterfering with the light,except where very long Wires are in use and a large adjustment of thelamp is desired, when it is necessary to employ some means, such asabove explained, for preventing knotting of the wire due to an excessivewinding of the drum.

A great many changes might be made in the general form and arrangementof the parts described without departing from my invention, and hence Ido not confine myself y to the precise details set forth, but considermyself at liberty to make'such slight changes and alterations as fairlyfall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fullydescribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecu re by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a stationary support, and a drum having ajournal on one side mounted to revolve in a bearing in said fixedsupport, of a central post on the opposite side of said drum through theaxis of which the electric Wire is passed and wound on the drum.

2. The combination with a stationary support, and a drum mounted to turnthereon, of a central post on one side of the drum having a recessextending into its axis for the reception of an electric wire or wires,to be Wound on the drum, and carrying the lamp at its other end, andmeans for holding the Wires in the axis of the post.

3. The combination with a fixed support and a drum mounted to turnthereon, of a central post on one side of the drum having a longitudinalrecess therein to receive the electric wires, a cap to hold the wires insaid recess, said wires Wound on the drum and supporting a lamp, aspring to turn the drum in one direction, ratchet mechanism to hold thedrum in any position, and means operated by the Wires depending from thedrum, for releasing the ratchet kmechanism and permitting the spring toturn the drum.

4. The combination with a stationary support, a drum mounted to turnthereon, and a spring to turn the drum in one direction, of a centralpost on one side of the drum having a longitudinal recess therein toreceive the electric wires before they are wound on the drum, a slottedcap to secure the wires in the recess, means on the Wires to preventtwisting thereof when the drum turns, and a ratchet mechanism to holdthe drum in any position to which it is moved.

5. The combination of a drum, a stationary support therefor, a flexibleconductor, a separate stationarysupport therefor, said conductorconnected with one side of said drum in line wit-h the axis of thelatterand then wound on said drum, and means connected with saidconductor between its fixed support and its connection with the drum,acting to prevent the twisting and consequent knotting of the conductorwhen the drum is rotated.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES WILLIAM RILEY.

Witnesses:

C.A A. CALHOUN, J r., A. S. HEs'rER.

